Musings by me, myself and occasionally I. Be prepared for anything from sport to current affairs, politics to just real life. I hope you enjoy and thank you in advance for reading

Saturday, 28 June 2014

No tears for troubled Cook and ECB

READING Kevin Pietersen’s
column in the Telegraph this morning, you ask yourself why he is not still part
of the English cricket team.

Here is a man forced
out of his role in the team not because of injury, loss of form or suspension
but simply for being ‘not the right sort’ wanted in the new Team England.

Yet the article lays
bare everything wrong with the current set up and actually, considering how
disgracefully he was disposed with, he is quite supportive of Cook.

For those who think it’s
a smear against the current set up, ask yourself this: why does Pietersen say ‘the
same old negative stuff’? He recognises the efforts to move on from the
Flower/Fletcher regime.

Cook’s captaincy is criticised
but even then Pietersen attempts to be supportive when he says he can
understand the reasons for the tactics to Matthews.

But he does hit the
nail on the head when he suggests some of the senior players are struggling to
offer leadership in the dressing room.

Because that is the
biggest problem facing English cricket, Pietersen was willing to criticise the
leadership on tour and was ostracised for it.

When it was all going
wrong for England on Monday at Headingley, how many times did you see senior
pros in Cook’s ear suggesting something different? Not many I fancy.

In keeping his job
after a 5-0 whitewash, getting rid of Pietersen and being described as the ‘right
sort of person’ to lea England, Cook has created a climate of fear.

People like Broad and
Anderson probably don’t want to speak out now for fear of losing their England
careers – if it happened to KP it can happen to them.

There is a climate now
where you cannot criticise Cook, see his comments about ‘something needing to
be done’ about Shane Warne.

The Aussie’s comments
are strong yes but I am sure he said far worse from 22 yards away when trying
to get a batsman out!

Yet there seems to be
no one in Cook’s ear saying, sod the critics, shut them up by going out and
getting a bucket load of runs.

Because in this
situation of Cook’s and the ECB’s making, the criticism will only get louder
and louder while the captain can’t get a run and England don’t win cricket
games.

I think it’s already
too late though, Cook looks finished and should England lose the test, ODI and
t20 series against India he should go.

If he stays he might
have to answer more criticism when KP bares all in October…..